Ear muff arrangement for caps



Oct. 23, 1951 M. w, MOUGEL EAR MUFF ARANGEMENT FOR CAPS Filed July 25, 1950 FIG. 1 18 INVENTOR.

MORTON W. MOUGEL Patented Oct. 23, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to headwear and more particularly to an improved ear muff arrangement for caps.

Heretofore, ear muffs or protectors have been associated with caps of various kinds but in some of these arrangements the ear muffs were not fixed in relation to the cap and were not firmly attached thereto. Furthermore, the stitching utilized was exposed and visible on the exterior of the cap thus detracting from the general appearance of the same. In other arrangements the ear muffs were fixed to one portion of the cap, but were not provided with a firm resilient support for holding the muffs snugly against the ears of the wearer.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to overcome the disadvantages enumerated above and to provide a simple and inexpensive construction for attaching ear muffs to a cap.

Another object of the invention is to provide a firm, resilient support for the ear muffs which is securely attached to the cap and which will hold the muff snugly against the wearer's ear.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a resilient support for the ear muffs in which the position of the muffs is fixed with relation to the cap so that there is no relative movement therebetween.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a construction of the nature described wherein no stitching or other extraneous structure is visible on the outside of the cap.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following .description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one preferred embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2, a fragmentary sectional view showing certain details of construction in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention; and Fig. 3, a transverse sectional view taken through the cap shown in Fig. 1 with front and rear portions of the sweat band broken away.

Briefly stated, one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention for attaching ear muffs to a cap consists of an elongated casing of flexible materia1 having its contiguous edge portions secured to the rear edge of the crown of the cap which preferably consists of an outer fabric, lining and stiffening member. A resilient U -shaped band, preferably of metal such as spring steel, is inserted through the casing and its end portions are positioned within and adjacent to snugly engage the ears of the wearer.

A sweatband is usually provided which is attached to the peripheral edge of the crown and is turned inwardly to cover the casing, resilient U-shaped band, and the fastening elements.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, a cap ll) of conventional construction, as best shown in Fig. 1, is provided with fabric ear muffs [2 supported along the side edges thereof. The supporting structure for the ear muffs is shown in dotted lines and consists primarily of a fabric loop l4 and a relatively rigid resilient U-shaped band l6, preferably formed of some metallic material such as spring steel.

The details of construction are best shown in Figs. 2 and 3 wherein the crown of the cap I0 preferably consists of an outer fabric [8, such as wool, with a lining 20 of soft flexible material and the stiffening member 22, which is usually some relatively stiff and inelastic material, such as buchram, canvas or paper. The casing I4 is preferably formed of a strong flexible fabric and has its contiguous edges secured by stitching to the peripheral edge portions of the outer fabric, lining, and stiffening member by stitching 24. The resilient U-shaped band is extended through the casing, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, with its end portions within and adjacent the side portions of the crown. Frames or wire loops 26 and 28 which support the ear muffs are provided with apertured attaching clips 3&1 and 32 which are positioned outwardly of the crown.

Rivets or other suitable fastening means 34 and 36 are extended through the apertures in the attaching clips, through openings formed in the crown, as well as through apertures formed in the end portions of the resilient U-shaped band I6. A sweatband 38 has one edge secured to the peripheral edge portions of the outer fabric, lining and stiffening member and is turned inwardly, as shown, to cover the loop M, the resilient U-shaped band It and the fastening elements 34 and 36 for pivotally mounting the frames 26 and 28.

It will be obvious that the rivets 34 and 36 form a pivotal mounting for the ear supporting frames 26 and 28 so that they may be moved from the upper portion in which frame 26 is shown in Fig. 3 to the lower portion 5| in which frame 28 is shown in Fig. 3.

By the present construction the resilient U- shaped band I6 is securely held within the cap in fixed position relative thereto by means of the casing 14 and the rivets 34 and 36. The resiliencyof the U-shaped band it holds the ear muffs in snug engagement with the ears of the wearer.

It should be particularly noted in the present structure that while the ear muflsare attached in fixed position relative to the cap and theresilient U-shaped band is firmly secured within the crown, that there is no visible stitching on the outside of the cap in the preferred form disclosed herein which would detract from the appearance and the clips 30 and 32 as well as the rivets 34 and 36 will be covered by the fabric which is normally extended over the supporting frames 26 and 28.

However, in a somewhat less expensive construction than that shown, the sweatband 38 may be eliminated and a conventional finishing stitch utilized along the lower edge of the crown which would be visible to a slight extent. This type of cap would still incorporate the most advantageous structural features and fulfill the primary objects of the invention.

It will be obvious to those skilled in this art that various changes may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof and, therefore, this invention is not limited by that which is shown in the draw- Number ings or by that which is described in the specification but only as indicated in the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

In a head covering a crown, a sweat band within said crown, a relatively rigid resilient U- shaped member located beneath said sweat band and having its end portions terminating at oppositesides of the crown, rivets attaching said end portions to said crown, the outer ends of said rivets being located exteriorly of said crown and forming pivotal supports for ear muffs, and encasing means secured beneath said sweat band to said crown intermediate said rivets encircling said resilient U-shaped member and preventing pivotal movement of said U-shaped resilient member about said rivets.

MORTON WM. MOUGEL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Loewe May 1'7, 1910 Pethybridge Apr; 2, 1912 Aldrich Feb. 14', 1928 Wengen May 23, 1939 Rabushka June 8, I948 Mason Mar. 15,1949

FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain Mar. 12, 1931 Number 

